It used to be that employees got a desk and a phone. Then a PC. Then laptops. Then cell phones. Blackberries. Smartphones. The discussion evolved and became about how these gadgets were letting work travel home with us, invading our private time and even vacations.

But then something happened. People started loving their gadget. Now iPads, iPhone, Droids are so intertwined with people’s lives that employees will most likely want to choose and bring their own gadget:

From Silicone Republic:

Bo Parker, head of PwC’s Technology Centre and Innovation Group, said organisations that move to a model of owning fewer hardware assets are more adaptable to changes in the business itself or in the market.

“They’re looking for ways to become asset-light, or asset-on-demand, so what all these trends – the mobile trend, the office trend, the cloud trend – share in common is a way to reduce the asset heaviness of the company so that if it needs to change, it can and it’s not being dragged back by a lot of heavy assets.”

It’s a sea change from the previous IT delivery model, where the user had no say in what hardware platform or software they had to use for their jobs.

What’s your policy? It can be an IT headache to implement the policy fully. But it can also stifle creativity and loyalty if you’re married to one system.

Whatever your company’s policy (and whether or not you’re in charge of it) you need to realize that trends turn on a dime and there are usually a slender few who are on top of these changing tides. Listen and watch those few to decide what direction your IT department will take the company in the future.